When I Die Young: On Hiatus
by SkippingPumpkin
Summary: Theresa and her brothers(oc) are changed into vampires by Stefan and Vladimir the Romanians as they attempt one last time to defeat the Volturi with the help of the King, a mind speaking vamp of mysterious origins. A fanfic I started back when Twilight first came out, that I'm fixing up and finally publishing. It's going to end up a Horror, Action, Romance, Family, Tragedy. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: The Kid's Aren't Alright

_Disclaimer: This is the world of Twilight which I don't own. There will be characters popping up that I also don't own. These things belong to Meyer._

Chapter 1: The Kids Aren't Alright

'_Vampire._'

The word floated dimly in my mind along with the memory of pain. So much pain. It wrinkled all my human memories and I had to wonder for a second who I was. Other than that one word, I mean. That mythical fact was certain.

As pain leaked out of my body, atom by atom, I finally opened my eyes. I saw cobwebs on the ceiling, dust dancing around broken light bulbs, my brothers pacing back and forth across the shattered room. I sighed and sat up with a grace that was so apart from who I was as to be physically irritating. My brothers both turned to look at me at exactly the same time with exactly the same guilty expression on their faces.

'_You will thirst for death_.'

I frowned, shaking away memories. At my feet lay the mangled, smoldering remains of the one who cursed my brothers, of my would-be murderer. I looked gloomily at the crisscrossed scars that coated my once mangled forearms. I could tell from the remaining twinges of fire that there were plenty of bites on my legs, too. There was also a strange burning feeling, which had replaced the beat of my heart…, no, not replaced, I realized, as the burning finally faded leaving a strange emptiness in my chest. I grimaced, looking up to stare in agony at the changed faces of my brothers. I still knew them, had known them long enough to recognize them, but there were new similarities that had not been there before. Like anger. And guilt.

_ 'I can give you power.'_

An irritated swipe at my ears later, I stood and instantly swooped down to pick a shard of mirror from the bloody floor tile. My nose burned but I managed to ignore my own blood long enough to see that I had the same pale skin as my brothers, the same black eyes, the same perfection wiping out everything interesting about my face. Then I smirked; my nose was still too big. Figures.

_ 'I trust the experiment is going well?'_

At those words, I finally fought through the precarious feeling my new and improved body brought and realized; these thoughts aren't memory. Someone was speaking to me, someone who wasn't there and could be ignored if I tried hard enough. I shook my head in concentration, trying to get rid of the voice. My brothers relaxed. I tossed the shard of glass aside, looking over at them, and they shifted to make room for me before I even started to move. We watched each other warily, waiting subconsciously for a repeat of that first bloody scene two days ago. The voice laughed.

_ 'Stefan, go explain.'_

Our eyes widened and we all looked to the door. "What happened?" I whispered, referring to the voice. Mitch hung his head in shame. Nate didn't move. "Who's coming?" I clarified urgently and both of them seemed to snap back to the present. Nate walked over and ripped our back door off its hinges. Mitch stepped in front of me, facing the door, holding his hands out to protect me. "They didn't want me." I suddenly remembered and words come, spurred on by the guilt on Mitch's face. "You attacked me… You changed me?"

"You would have died." He replied, his voice careful, almost gentle from his guilt.

"Because you almost killed me." I remembered, the words still slipping out. He winced and planted his feet more firmly, as though waiting for me to push him or try to run. "And I was just trying…"

"Don't worry; you're in no danger now. And someone is coming to explain." He growled. I frowned, concentrating on the silence until I heard footsteps coming up the brick walkway. "By the way, one of the vampires who killed mom and dad got away." Mitch added right before the new vampire stepped up to the empty doorframe. His face was disturbingly handsome, hypnotizing in its perfect sharpness in a way our soft faces never could be. His eyes were bright, bloody red and his hair was pitch black. Behind him, the Texan sunlight was glaring down, glittering off his chalky skin as if off new fallen snow.

I didn't even wince; I could see perfectly through the glare. Mitch's words sank in and I felt pain, but then my new eyes saw the vampire man looking at my brothers like they were servants, like they were slaves, like they were _his._ And the fury and pain this stirred up covered everything else.

I am an overprotective older sister.

"Well, what do you have to say?" I said smoothly, my whole body leaning toward him, tensed to spring at my chosen prey. Everyone turned to look at me; my brothers stared at my expressionless face.

The man looked startled. "I am Stefan. I come from the King. He has changed you into the perfect soldiers. As you have discovered, you desire blood over everything else." My brothers winced but I held back a triumphant smile. "And now he offers blood in exchange for your help as we fight our enemies."

"Who is this king?" I asked, my tone bored. In truth, I was scared; I felt shredded up inside by the sudden revelation of a whole other world, by the loss of my family, by doubt toward my once good-humored brothers. "Who changed us?"

_ 'The one you follow!_' The voice hissed angrily in my head. All three of us winced again. How annoying.

"That doesn't help much." I pointed out with a slight smirk.

"All you need to know is that he has given you the gift of power and life and will give you lives to take." As he said that, I knew what my brothers had felt. There was a sudden irrational burst of hunger and, more than anything else, I wanted the blood of anyone, anything that would get in my way. I wanted someone to get in my way, just so that I could destroy them, so I could drain them. I shuddered and shook my head. And again, after a second, my brothers did the same. "He is creating an army. Someday soon he will rule; we will rule. A reign of terror no one can possibly defeat." I gritted my teeth, thinking of my dead parents, of my 'baby' brothers who almost killed me.

"How did we change?" I asked.

"You see the scars?" He said, gesturing toward my arms. My brothers nodded as I looked to them questioningly. "That is where your foolish brother's venom was allowed to spread until you were changed. The burn spread until all of you was changed." He grinned. I could see that he almost but not quite had fangs. "You need blood to live; it becomes almost pain if you resist it for very long. And we are the only ones like you; if you do not join you will be alone." He nodded his head, as though completely sure of his success. My brothers started to nod, their faces obedient. I concentrate on the idea of the King's voice and they freeze, turning to look blankly at me.

"We will be together." I said quietly. "At the moment I do not want to join with someone who killed my parents, someone who thinks he can turn my brothers into bloodthirsty monsters. If we desire killing over everything, then why were my brothers hurt, why did they stop fighting when they heard me scream?" I did not bring up the fact that they were fighting over who got to drink my blood. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have things to figure out." I finished coldly, irritated by my own dark thoughts.

The handsome vampire looked startled and then his face fell. The voice started to speak in my head and I shut it out again, slamming a mental door so hard that my brothers jump. Then they both stared at me as a nervous Stefan walked quickly away.

"Alright." I said softly. "Now you two explain."

"There's nothing more to explain." Nate replied, annoyed.

"He said we had some sort of talent. One his men saw it." Mitch said at the same time. The conversation paused as we both glared at Nate. "You, too, Tarry, but he didn't seem to want it."

"Do you think we maybe should have, just maybe, tried to find out what those talents actually _are?_" I asked sweetly.

"Shut up, Tarry." Mitch said grumpily.

"I can't think when that voice is in my head." Nate added.

"Fine. What do you know about vampires?" I offered, hoping they would appreciate the change of subject.

"Oh…" Nate said.

"Tarry, this isn't… You weren't there." Mitch argued.

I nodded agreement, but had to point out one last thought. "We are so going to die."

"Probably." Mitch shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Theresa." Nate said miserably.

"Meh."

We stared morosely around the house. I wondered where my parents where, if anyone had noticed we were all missing. I couldn't imagine what the police would think at finding our house, at not finding our bodies.

"Was any of your blood spilled?" I asked suddenly.

"Yeah." Mitch replied, looking at me as though I were an idiot.

"Upstairs." Nate confirmed.

"Good."

"What?"

"You want the police to accuse you of a triple homicide? No. Finding your blood will distract them." I nodded shortly.

"Oh, Tarry." Nate looked horrified.

"_All I watch are crime shows._" I seethed. "I can't _help_ it."

"You're weird." Mitch said, sounding bored. "And I think we should go after that little guy."

"Stef-" Nate said helpfully.

"To lie and join up or to interrogate?" I interrupted.

"-an." Nate finished, glaring at me.

"I vote interrogate." Mitch said, smiling coldly.

"I think we should lie and join them." I argued, trying to remember if I'd left things open enough that we could actually do so. "They could lead us to someone who might help us squash them." I paused, looking around our shattered living room. "And save others." I added as an afterthought, chasing off feelings of both bloodlust and guilt.

We looked to Nate. "I vote both." Nate offered. I playfully tossed the table at his head. "Ow, Tarry, you're such a jerk!" He joked as the table ricocheted and smashed against the wall.

"We could also just follow him." I said, waving my hands wildly as I talked. "And find more bloodsuckers to terrify if he's not helpful. Or join up, if they seem friendly."

"You don't think I could take him?" Mitch joked half-heartedly.

"Mitch, it's been a long day. Don't make me lie to you." I quipped back.

We fell silent. The house creaked around us and I picked up the bloody, dead phone, fiddling with the buttons and finding that I can no longer cry. My brothers just stared at me, so I walked over and placed it back on its charger.

"I'll dial the cops and then we can take off." I told them. "Pack up what you want."

"And we can follow Stefan." Mitch agreed.

"What after?" Nate muttered.

"We find the man who killed our parents." I said, just as quiet.

"Finally, something I agree with." Mitch added grimly.

Author's Note: I know, I know; slowish beginning. I'll try to have some sort of fight/reveal in each chapter from now on. In addition, Stefan, Vladimir, and another non OC who is yet to be revealed will be showing up and messing with T, M, and N throughout the next several chapters. And as if that isn't enough, Alice is gonna show up and give Tarry some not so good news.


	2. Chapter 2: Fire on High

_Disclaimer: This is the world of Twilight which I don't own. There will be characters popping up that I also don't own. These things belong to Meyer._

Chapter 2: Fire on High

We followed Stefan through the streets as the sky turned to night, the boys effortlessly lugging a backpack and four suitcases each, and ducking behind things when Mitch forced us too. Stefan took no notice, brooding through the streets of Brenham, Texas, without ever looking back. Eventually, Nate looked at Mitch suspiciously and he laughed.

"Alright, I admit it. I'm hiding us." He said loudly. Nobody even looked up.

"Hiding us?" I asked, shifting uneasily under the inconsequential weight of my own backpack as Stefan moved further away. "We're invisible?"

Mitch rolled his eyes. "No, I can reach into their minds and keep them from thinking of us. They'll notice we're here but they can't think anything of it. I worked on it while you were out."

"That's why he wants you?" I replied, merely thinking aloud. "So Nate must have something too?"

"Yes, Tarry." Mitch sighed impatiently. "We are magic. Can we move on?"

Mitch and Nate jogged ahead to get Stefan back in their sights and I walked quickly to catch up, lost in thought. We passed lighted windows and boring little houses, normal families putting kids to bed and couples watching movies together; but all of them were under a vampire's control. All of them had passed peril in the form of Stefan's hungry lurching, in our small pack of hungry prowling. If there had been a hint of wind, the sirens we now heard would have any even longer night ahead.

I thought of my parents and shuddered. Then I looked to my brothers, ignoring me, annoyed at my slowness and supposed stupidity; but ready to fight their violent nature to protect me. And I would protect them back, even as they mocked me. I looked up as Nate raised a hand to toss a pebble and I laughed as that pebble left a two foot divot in the sidewalk. Nate turned to smile at me.

"How close can we get before he notices?" I asked quietly. They still heard me.

"As close as you want." Mitch said a bit louder, just to show off. "But I'm not sure yet how long I can go. Or how far from me you can get."

"And what can Nate do?" I repeated insistently.

For answer, Nathan held up another pebble, turned, and winged it straight at my face. I shrieked like a rather obnoxious banshee and curled my arms and one leg up to protect myself, but this time the bit of rock simply disappeared before it even hit me. I gaped at him, my body still curled up precariously, my jaw now hanging open.

My brothers laughed at me for the next two streets, growing louder again each time I returned from checking anyone following us. Mitch only stopped when Nate pointed out Stefan turning to see who was making such a ruckus. I took the opportunity to interrogate them again.

"What did he tell you while I was out?" I asked, hopping back and forth behind them. Mitch shrugged, not bothering to even look at me. "What, you just looked at each other for a couple hours?"

"Days." Nate corrected.

"You're just making my point." I told him flippantly. I began walking on my hands, crushing bits of gravel as they stuck to my diamond skin. "What do I need to know?"

"No more people food." Mitch said. I could hear the smirk in his voice. "No more chocolate."

"Something serious, Mitch." I answered dejectedly, springing up to walk normally again.

"The sun doesn't hurt us, but it'll show what we are." Nate said helpfully. He held up a hand and it glittered faintly in the moonlight, just as we all had a couple hours earlier.

"I hate you both." I told them. I began hopping again, glancing ahead every once in a while to see if Stefan had stopped yet. We were leaving the suburbs and inching our way onto farmland. There was a copse of trees ahead and I sensed eyes watching us before I saw them. "Mitch?"

"I feel them." He said, waving me away. "They'll forget us in a sec."

"There really isn't anything to know, Tarry." Nate told me finally, as we traipsed through the dirt. "Except only fire can kill us and we need to stay secret."

"Fire or dismemberment via vampire teeth." Mitch corrected. "Let's dump our stuff here. I can keep it hidden, I think."

"Very reassuring. How 'bout next time we buy a car?" I told him as I obeyed, dumping my bag with an answering whoosh of dust. "Can you tell how many there are?"

"I feel twenty people, but I can't tell the difference between living, dead, vampire, normal…" Mitch cut off as I closed my eyes.

"16 vampire, one dead. 4 human, 1 dead." I told them. Stefan had disappeared into the trees. "Come on." I grinned. "We can take 'em."

"Who knows what they can do?" Mitch pointed out as we began to run.

"Who cares? They can't see us." I quipped right back.

"And I can make them see us where we're not." Nate interjected. "Oh and by the way, if you two would be quiet, we would probably hear what's happening. Which would be nice. Just putting that out—ow."

"You're welcome." I replied as he brushed off leaves from the tree branch I had just lugged at his face. "Do we have a plan?" I asked Mitch.

"Eavesdrop? I don't know, Tarry. I'm trying to listen." He walked forward into the midst of the 16 vampires.

"Hypocrite." I muttered, but I followed him in. I wasn't truly sure how far away from him I could be while he was hiding me; also he'd found a great spot for watching.

Everyone was starting at Stefan as he approached a tall, muscled vampire seated next to the dead human. This vampire did not speak, just glared at Stefan as everyone stared intently. I blinked, puzzled, and moved forward to stand in the very center of the gathering of vampires. I felt like a ghost and this made me laugh, bringing Mitch's angry gaze toward me.

"Tarry, you hid his voice from us."

My mouth popped open again and hung there for a moment longer as I remembered slamming that mental door shut. "Oh!" I said nonsensically and a moment later, that dark voice was back in our heads.

'—_create new enemies? This is not the way to begin.'_

"King, they simply asked for time to think." Stefan argued. "And they were reasonable, not at all threatening."

"We will find them and make the offer again." Another vampire offered, his voice eerily similar to Stefan's. "Trey can find them easily enough." A short, older looking man stepped forward and nodded in reply, his black eyes never leaving the human corpse.

"Mitch?" I asked.

"Not a problem." He told me. "Shut up."

'_So the boys—"_

"And the girl." Stefan informed him. The King glared at him.

'_We know nothing of her but that her gift is redundant. Why did she survive?'_

"Her brothers killed Anna because she attacked their sister. They left me only because I offered no further harm."

"And Jacob?" A vampire female asked uneasily, fiddling with her brilliant purple hair.

"Fled two days ago." Stefan shrugged. "Trey can find him, as well. We have time to wait."

'_Until the brothers make their decision? I suppose…'_

"Who's Jacob?" I asked.

"Killed mom and dad." Nate reminded me. "And he saw our powers."

"And we're the same?" I asked Mitch. He shrugged. "Wait; did you guys kills a girl?"

"She was a vampire." Nate said, ducking his head.

"Tarry, would you please shut up?" Mitch added.

"Whoops!" I replied happily. "Where were we?"

'_We can only wait now. Vladimir, have you learned anything more about the Volturi's status?'_

"Yes, King. They have been hanging back since the attempt at the Cullens. We will still need to build our numbers but until we find the brothers' decision we won't know how many more we will need…"

"Ho-lee coooow." I announced. Mitch took this as the cue to finally drop his camouflage—only of me. And so I announced to King's entire coven. "WHAT IS THE POINT OF BEING VAMPIRES IF YOU STAND AROUND TALKING ALL DAY?"

Mitch and Nate burst out laughing.

'_Who are you?' _The King asked, aghast.

"Who the **** are you?" Vladimir said as well, much calmer. He sounded almost bored.

"Oh." I replied. "Hi!" I heard Mitch and Nate laughing uncontrollably. No one else even looked at them. "I'm Theresa."

"Theresa Ruhne." Stefan offered. "The sister."

"Ah." Several vampires said.

'_Why are you here?'_ The King demanded.

"Oh, you know…" I said, flustered. "To make new friends? Why are you all here?"

Everybody stared at me.

"We are not the only vampires, Theresa." Stefan told me.

"Though we are among the oldest." Vladimir said, his voice still far too similar to Stefan's for my taste.

"And once we were the strongest." Stefan said, his face tight with anger. The circle of younger vampires stirred around us. "Soon we hope to be again."

"And you need our powers?" I asked. "To fight?"

"Yes." Vladmir looked me up and down critically, but I couldn't tell what he decided. "To throw off our tyrants." He went on to give a detailed account of every grievance these Volturi had ever committed, with Stefan chiming in enthusiastically.

"And why should we help?" Mitch asked. No one responded and I laughed at him. The circle of vampires looked at me warily but I simply repeated the question.

"For power." Stefan told me.

"For blood." Vladimir grinned.

'_For your brothers.'_ The King put in. _'You think they will be safe against the powers we told you? If they are alone, I mean.'_

"Do they need to be?" I asked. "Why should the Volturi care about us otherwise?"

"Because you are powerful." Stefan said with a shrug.

Vladimir sighed as though in sympathy. "And so they will think you belong to them."

"But instead, what? We belong to you?" I guessed. Out of the corner of my eye, Mitch and Nate nodded thoughtfully.

"We created you, like we created the others—except for Jacob—but like the others you receive a choice." Stefan told me. "And like the others, we know we need you and respect you for it."

"Yeah, I dunno, though." I replied. "You all seem kinda dull. I don't think you'd last very long in this fight you seem so eager for. You two-" I waved a hand at the chalky-skinned Stefan and Vladimir. "—seem a little fragile, too." A glance around the circle proved to be most amusing. Every single vampire was ready to pounce, each one irritated and insulted. "Honestly, from what I've seen of you bloodsuckers, you seem more like models then any sort of warrior." I smiled at one female vampire and she prepared to spring at me, bloodlust turning into temper.

"You think you're better than us?" She asked, fidgeting forward with each word, flipping her blonde hair from her face. I felt others getting closer as well and my body tensed in happy anticipation.

"Why don't we find out?" I

I beamed at her.

"Tarry?" Nate asked nervously. "What are you doing, exac—"

She lunged for my throat.

I didn't bother experimenting with my talent as the blonde vampire lunged for me, figuring it would distract me more than her. Instead, I ducked down at the possible second and then thrust forward with all the power I could summon. I heard another vampire take a swipe at me as I tackled her, but she hissed at him to stay out of it and then we slammed against the top of an ash tree with a loud crack.

For a second, we both glanced around uncertainly, neither of us apparently used to our new strength. As I leapt back to crouch on a thicker looking branch, the spot we'd hit began to creak. The other vampire saw my eyes flick away and took the opportunity to return my attack, launching herself at my stomach with her teeth bared and ready to bite.

I responded my shifting my weight onto my hands and swinging my legs forward to meet her chin. As she screeched and caught herself on the falling tree trunk, I used the momentum to backflip into the next tree over, watching vampires below move aside of the incoming debris.

I laughed and blocked the rest of the vampires from thinking of interfering.

She catapulted the entire top half of the tree at my face and I simply stepped to the side. She screamed with rage and I laughed harder as her makeshift missile smashed into yet another tree and splinters rained down on our observers.

"You call this a fight, big shot?" I mocked. The blonde ripped a tree from the ground. "There we go."

Then the tree burst into flames.

"Hey, one sec." I called, not moving from my precarious perch around 19 feet from the ground. "What's your name?"

"Leigh." She replied, looking rather bewildered. The tree sparkled prettily above our heads. "Um. What was yours again?"

"Tarry." I told Leigh politely. "Proceed."

"YOU TWO ARE GOING TO KILL US ALL!" A gigantic vampire bellowed.

"Tarry, what the heck?" Mitch called.

It was too late.

The blazing tree slammed down on my tree as I leapt straight up. I managed to come down and land on the trunk of it, racing down its length as Leigh twisted and snapped the wood in an effort to dislodge me. I summoned all my strength and dove myself for her one last time, knowing gravity was on my side as she stood pinned beneath the weight of her own weapon. Faster than a human could see I streaked toward my new enemy, hands spread clawlike to grab her and rip her apart. Her eyes widened at the fearsome sight of my wild red eyes and bared teeth. One of the humans screamed and several vampires called a warning.

There was another yell and then a sickening thud.

The fight was over.

The vampires stared at the result of our small rampage, no one moving as the fire fizzled out and branches swung loosely from aching trees. There was a cough. Then a snicker. Then I hear both my brothers burst yet again into laughter.

Leigh had ducked.

My head was now stuck in a tree.

Author's Note:

I know, I know. Tarry's kinda crazy right now and Stefan and Vladimir haven't done much. Tarry has to figure out what they're up to before they'll be real enemies. Meanwhile, fight!


	3. Chapter 3: My Own Worst Enemy

_Disclaimer: This is the world of Twilight which I don't own. There will be characters popping up that I also don't own. These things belong to Meyer._

Chapter 3: My Own Worst Enemy

Question everything.

That was my motto as a human and it didn't change as a vampire. If anything, I forced myself to grow more suspicious. So I didn't ask anyone for permission as I threw orders into the minds of the vampires surrounding me and forbade them from hurting my family—from thinking of hurting my family, I mean. I didn't even ask my brothers before forbidding them to trust the eerily-still vampires that surrounded us in the little pocket of forest where we all stood. When I looked to the future, I saw long days of hiding myself from others and truth from myself. I saw constant fear and hunger I was terrified of acknowledging. I saw death, death and more death. And I didn't know what part of it to fight.

I just knew I was going to fight it.

If this stream of thoughts seem rather morbid for what you've seen of me so far, I would like to remind you that my shiny new vampire brain contemplated this bizarre sense of mortality from within the shattered shell of a Texas Ash tree. In addition, my decision to fight did not mean that my life was going to end any less pathetically then my scuffle with Leigh.

Behind me, probably sharing similar thoughts about my contributions to the average IQ of the world, my brothers had revealed themselves. I could sense their minds better than the rest of the group; with a bit more experimenting, I also knew I could control more of their thoughts from farther away. So if I wanted more control of the rest of the vampires…

"Keep your friends close…." I told the tree in a conspiratorial whisper. Then I ripped it in half before the poor thing could learn the end of my cliché.

"My sister raised some good points." Mitch was saying. He was always nicer to me around company. "You seem to need us much more then we need you."

"For now." Stefan said, trying and failing not to sound threatening. "But at some point the Volturi will find a way to break you or to own you. Not Theresa; they have no need for her control. And Nathan? He might not match their style either. But they'll want you."

"So they'll find something," Vladimir hissed. "Some law you've accidentally broken, some rebellion they can show the rest of us. And—"

"And they'll kill us?" Nate asked indifferently. He glanced at me and smiled when my face betrayed that this idea annoyed instead of terrified.

_'No.'_ The King told us. _'They'll hold you to control him.'_

"And it will work." Vladimir finished. "Or, they will simply use Jane until it does."

I couldn't help but wince as I remembered what they'd told me, wondered how she could be worse than the fires of transformation. Then I shrugged.

"You know, somehow I think we'll have an easier time _hiding_ from them than most." I said pointedly. "But, Mitch, I do think we should consider it." I added carefully, seeing the three lead vampires harden their faces, seeing Leigh tense to spring again. "Why don't we stick around for a bit. You two, I mean. I'll be more useful helping Trey track down our good friend Jacob."

Mitch grinned viciously, red eyes glinting in the faint light so that his face was ethereal, almost alien to my eyes. "Be sure to bring him back. I'm looking forward to a chat with him."

Nate and Trey looked mildly uncomfortable. The three leaders glared at us even more resentfully.

"We have need of him." Stefan said sternly, talking to us like we were naughty children. I'd been so busy keeping everyone else from interfering that I hadn't thought to hide our intentions. "For now." He amended.

"And you'll stop us from our vengeance how?" Mitch asked sharply.

"Leigh is not our only weapon." Vladimir snapped back. A glance around did show me she was the only other female vampire around. "We have been creating warriors; warriors that _Jacob_ finds for us."

"Is Leigh your best weapon then?" I asked, glancing around and trying to memorize the 16 red-eyed, perfect faces that surrounded us. "Because without the trees, I would have won that fight."

"Shut up, Tarry." That was Mitch.

"Tarry, no." And Nate.

"I'm serious." I insisted, for once not simply trying to annoy everyone. "I wasn't hiding where I was, I wasn't hiding any of her thoughts; why didn't she set me on fire? And would anyone else have fought any better?"

"I can set anything on fire as long as it's still for ten seconds!" Leigh said hotly. "A moment longer—"

"I really don't see how that's helpful in battle." I interrupted. "I'm sure you're a real whiz in the kitchen, but people fighting tend to _move_."

Leigh's eyes glittered and I felt the air around me raise three degrees. I sidestepped half a foot and Leigh shrieked with rage.

'_Leigh. Stop.'_ The King commanded. She instantly backed down. I narrowed my eyes, suspicious once again. '_We have several shields, Teresa. Two can cause pain similar to Jane. One can see the moves his opponent will make before they begin to fight.'_

"Three more have a simple immunity; two to mind talents, one to physical." Stefan added. He seemed the most eager to impress me. I knew he was thinking of how I had shut out the King back at our house; I had a feeling he shared my dislike for the group's choice of leader. And indeed, those he listed were the talents that made me the most nervous.

"Finally we have Boris who can cause confusion in others. And the rest have various fight talents." Vladimir finished quickly. He seemed to want me to just go away. The rest of the vampires looked at me—and Leigh—in a similar way. Men!

"I'm sure you'll convince us eventually." Mitch told them, taking a cue from me (thankfully not the one to be as annoying as possible) and looking to Nate for confirmation. "But for now, I think Tarry should go with Trey, if only to make sure no one is warning Jacob of our intentions."

'_You will wait for your vengeance.' _The King commanded. I squirmed slightly at his words, feeling as though there was a weight on my thoughts. The discomfort was great enough that I forbade myself from remembering what he'd just said. '_Trey, you will be encouraging to our guest.'_

"Yes, sire." Trey said, bowing his head and watching me with an agreeable expression that was surprisingly far from obsequious.

"I'll catch up with you in a moment." I told him. He nodded politely. "Mitch, a word?"

"Hm?" He said. The eyes around us lost focus and then widened. He'd hidden us again.

"I think we should make friends with Trey… Or find some way to contact other vampires." I told him quickly.

"You think there are any? Besides the Volturi's, I mean?" Mitch wondered, his perfect face suddenly uncertain and more like the brother I remembered.

"I don't know. But something is weird here." I told him. "Look how quick they were to attack me; but they're willing to submit to some random leader? They're all new, like us; they can't have known him that long. The order here;" I gestured to the perfect circle of male vampires and Leigh. "We're all unnatural… but they're worse somehow. And…" I took one last look at the creepy red eyes, the strangers with faces now similar to mine. "I've just got way too many questions we can't trust them to answer."

"Tarry…" Mitch groaned. "Just go. We can decide whether to join them after they let us kill Jacob." I looked around, wondering if he'd dropped his camo; but he meant what he said. He wanted to wait?

"Yeah, Tarry. Once they're ready to fight, we'll decide whether to fight with them." Nate added confidently and I tried to shrug off my paranoia; Nate was the smart one, after all. "Tarry, you have to find him first." Nate pointed out, when I refused to take my eyes off them, too troubled by their patience to lose mine.

"Ok, Nate." I said, my voice tiny. They didn't even notice anything was wrong.

I only had time for a troubled glance back as I chased after Trey, promising myself that I would find my own answers when I returned.

My brothers had joined the circle.

Trey wanted to stop and feed but the amethyst on my finger kept me from wanting to stop. I convinced him that we'd look for something in the next town and blocked the idea from his mind as soon as he thought of something else. I also kept him talking as we ran, finding that this made my talent easier to handle.

"How does your tracking work then?"

Trey glanced up and smiled at me. "I pick a time and I can see where he plans be at that time. You'll make things easier, though, I think. You can hide our presence from him?"

"I can keep him from noticing us." I agree. "Why is that necessary?"

"I see his plan. He knows that, so if he sense us at all he'll change his destination." Trey shrugged. "Though he might want to be found. Does he know your brothers want revenge?"

I hesitated, looking over the bare, open countryside we were rushing past and then up at the stars. _I_ wasn't even sure if my brothers wanted revenge anymore. Maybe in three days, I would be the same, would lose the connections to my human life and not even miss them. I looked over at the waiting Trey and found his friendly eyes cemented on me, his face eager to please. I tried to smile back.

"I don't know." I told him. "I don't remember that part." I paused and then I ripped the elastic from my hair, freeing it to tumble back in the wind our fast pace was creating. Trey grinned. "I don't even know if he knows they changed me. Or if he saw me."

"I know he sensed your powers." Trey told me, twisting off course to grab something before turning back to me. "But I doubt he saw your face." He told me as he returned.

"Oh?" I asked, glancing over Trey's appearance and getting irritated at the cookie cutter-ness of a vampire's beauty. I wasn't sure which parts of it were actually _him_ other than the ridiculously curly blonde hair, the wide happy eyes, and a very slight frame. "Why?"

"Because then he would have changed you himself, beautiful." Trey chuckled, reaching mid-bound to place the flower he'd picked behind my ear. Wow. "Come on; we're almost there." He gestured to the dingy looking town that had appeared on the horizon. "And we'll have plenty of time to explore before—"

Wham!

One second the chatty Trey was beside me, the next thing I knew he was a quarter mile away with a strange vampire wrestling him to the ground. I watched for a moment, torn by my lack of knowledge about either vampire and my inability to change direction while midleap. Trey yelled my name as I hit the ground, kicking up the dusty dirt around me to hide my intent—not that I had one yet—and swiveling toward him and his attacker.

I heard Trey scream and the strange vampire snarled in response, ignoring me for now. I was distracted, hidden in a dustdevil I continued to kick up; what if this had to do with the Volturi? What if they were back at the camp, attacking my brothers? I sniffed carefully and found that there was another vampire resting somewhere nearby, waiting for me to appear. I reached out for the vampire's mind and found it to my left. I could just barely feel two male vampires far away to my right, further behind me; Trey and his attacker. There was another vampire, further out so that her scent wouldn't carry. There was nothing between me and the town we'd been looking for.

Nothing between me and seeking out Jacob for myself.

My whole body whipped around, leaning forward as though I already had my enemy's throat between my fangs. But that action had consequences, just like most other things I'd already done that day. First, my movement made noise and the female vampire took the opportunity to spring for me through my poor man's camo. She hit me with bone shattering speed and slammed me out of the mess I'd been making without any further hesitation. Second, the flower Trey had placed behind my ear was knocked loose and lost among the dirt, slipping through my fingers as I was shoved away.

I hit the ground.

Someone screamed and there was a sickening cracking noise, like rock being ripped in half. The vampire who had attacked me grinned, baring her fangs as she lunged for my neck, trying to end my life with as little effort as possible. I turned my head away, trying to see Trey, hoping he still had time. My eyes fell on my mother's ring. They traveled down the scars on my arms to where my muscles strained against the vampire's grip on my arm.

Mitch and Nate, I remembered as the left side of my neck split open.

Trey, I added to the list as I hear another scream.

The thought of those three made me scowl; I was _not_ going to die as a one day old vampire. Mitch and Nate wouldn't even grieve, they'd be rolling their eyes so hard. Not to mention the vengeance I'd been so looking forward to. Death was not an option here. Not yet.

I lunged forward, using my newborn strength to shove the vampire back. Then I returned the favor, using my razor sharp teeth to rip open her neck before she knew what hit her. I threw her headless corpse away and turned to Trey and his attacker, stopping only to check that the fifth vampire was still hiding.

Author's Note!

I'm stopping a bit earlier then I meant to because the cut off felt right, and I'm not sure myself if Trey is going to survive.

I'm adding one last extra bit to Chapter 1 because I realized that the thing I was going to mention about Tarry's last moment's at her house aren't really going to fit in later. So if you read Ch1 before July 4, you might want to check it quick. Just a little insight into why she has more of a struggle with the whole being a vampire thing.

Also, thanks for the reviews! I appreciate any feedback I can get; kinda new at this : P.


	4. Chapter 4: Through the Fire and Flames

_Disclaimer: This is the world of Twilight which I don't own. There will be characters popping up that I also don't own. These things belong to Meyer._

Chapter 4: Through the Fire and Flames

I faced a snarling, desperate Trey and the back of a very, _very_ large vampire as I stood up and kicked away the head of the vampire I had just killed. It landed a couple feet away from one of Trey's arms. His other arm was still in the process of being ripped off. I furrowed my brow in determination and sprinted toward them.

I soon realized that the giant vampire had his leg against Trey's chest, using it as leverage as he yanked at the tracker's remaining arm. I tried to hide the idea of hurting Trey, or of fighting Trey, but it was like slamming my head against a cement wall. As I leapt closer, my mind quickly flipped through possibilities, throwing them out only to discover that the strange vampire already had them in his head and that my powers did not hide what had already been realized. I scowled and commanded the giant vampire not to fight me.

I landed on his back just as Trey's arm began to creak.

I wrenched the large vampire's head back with all my strength, hoping to decapitate him as well. My arms slipped straight up and I ended up doing a backflip onto the ground. The strange and giant vampire laughed at me. Trey whimpered.

I rolled my eyes.

My next thought was to 'pants' the giant vampire, as a distraction, but his one leg up position did not seem conducive to that line of thought. I slid into a crouch and let instinct take over, tackling the strange vampire with all my newborn strength and grunting as a KACHUNK thudded through the desert around us. I opened my eyes to find my arms wrapped around my gigantic foe and a large trench in the ground where our feet had slid through the ground through my ultimately futile efforts.

"Hey squirt." The giant vampire boomed. "Who are you?"

"Guuuuuuuuuunggggggrrrrr." I groaned, my face filled with the dirt we'd kicked up.

He laughed heartily and threw the groaning Trey about half a mile. I took the opportunity to leap away and glare up at him, my stance tense and ready for an attack even if he shouldn't be able to think of that.

"Well, well, Miss Guuuu—Can I call you Guh?" The vampire charmed. I simply stared back, not sure if I found that funny. "What am I to do with you?"

"Oh…" I smiled, blocking any thought of harming me from his mind. "I'm sure you'll think of _something_."

"I suppose I should ask again." The vampire sighed, shaking his head against my interference in his mind. "Who are you? Why are you with a rebel?"

"A rebel?" I relaxed my aggressive pose and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Who…? There's a government over _vampires?_"

"Yes, and—"

"We're _vampires._" I interrupted, throwing my hands in the air. "What do we need a president for? Or police?"

"Miss, that's not exactly—"

"And what do they come after you for? Murder? Because half my family was just murdered and I don't see anyone making a fuss about that. Thievery? Phooey. If I want to rob a blood bank, I will rob a stinkin' blood bank."

"A… a blood bank?" My large foe was slightly behind my train of thought, as was I; I hadn't known til I spoke the words that I wasn't planning on killing for my next meal.

"Leave us alone!" I yelled. "We need him! And we've done nothing wrong!"

The large vampire looks behind me, to where I can still sense the third stranger watching. He is deep in thought, no longer fighting my control. His eyes flick between the distant vampire and me again and I know this means nothing good.

"Are you with the Cullens? Are they joining to fight us, to finally assert themselves as the lead coven?" He was very solemn suddenly, dropping his flirtatious smirk.

"I don't know who you are!" I cried. "Or these… Cullens? Who cares about the Cullens? I just want my tracker back."

"_Your_ tracker?" Trey joked as he sprang back toward us. We ignored him.

"You are rebellion, aren't you?" The stranger says.

"Who would I be rebelling aga—"

"Felix."

The last of the strange vampires had chosen to join us.

"Alice!" The giant vampire responded. "Here to join the fight?"

"To stop it." She countered.

"Oh, you're no fun." I told my newest ally. For emphasis, I kicked Trey's severed arm across the desert and broke a cactus in half.

"Felix, she is not part of the rebellion and neither are we." Alice said, smiling briefly at me. "In fact, I've seen that she is your only hope to stop it."

"No!" Trey snarled. "You will not stop us and you will not rule us."

"You don't know what you're saying, boy." Felix warned. "Though you've already been sentenced to death, so what does it matter?"

"No, I need him." I begged. I looked to Alice for help, she shook her head. "No!"

"What have you seen, Alice?" Felix asked, grabbing Trey by the back of his neck and lifting him up in a chokehold. "Who is this newborn and whose side is she on?"

"She hasn't decided yet." Alice told him. "But she is our only chance against what's coming." The three other vampires turned and stared at me, but I was slowly backing away, shaking my head.

"No, no, no." I told her. "I don't know what brand of mind-reading crud you're messing around with, but I'm just out for revenge. That's it. You don't know anything about me."

Alice's happy face and black eyes turned serious. "No, I don't." She said. "Except that you weren't planned on. I see what everyone's been planning, I've seen a war the Volturi and your king have decided on; and I haven't seen a happy ending until you popped up." She pressed her palms against her temples and glared at me. "Ugh! You're as bad as the wolves! I don't know what decisions you'll make when you find out the truth, but you're our only hope."

"That's ridiculous." I growled. "Felix, my man, tell her she's crazy."

"The Volturi won't be happy if I let her go." Felix commented.

"I'll keep an eye on her." Alice promised. "Make sure she knows the rules, where she's going. Besides… The Volturi will want to study her and her brothers… They may not be happy she's free… but they'll be furious if she dies."

Felix's eyes locked on me and he laughed. "Her? Alright, I'll bite. What's your talent, sunshine? What makes you soooo special?" He smirked. "Other than your pretty face, I mean."

I glanced at Alice and she nodded encouragingly. "I… I can hide thoughts."

"Thoughts." Felix said, considering.

"Memories. Ideas. I've been using it as crowd control or protection. To keep myself focused." I shrugged. "I haven't had much time to figure it out completely."

Felix was nodding at Alice. "Alright, Cullen. Not bad. But if she joins up with you after I let her slide…" He trails off with a significant look. Alice simply stares back. "Alright. Well, I'm just going to take care of this traitor and you two can be on your way."

"What? No!" I protest, struggling against Felix' thoughts. It's too late; he had already decided on Trey's ending before he ever saw his face. I leap forward, grappling for the giant's arms. "Stop it! This is wrong! And I need him!"

Trey managed one squeak and then he's gone.

"No!" I shrieked. Felix tossed me away and pulled out a lighter.

"Alice, get her where she needs to go. Before I change my mind." Felix growled good-naturedly. The crumbled remains of my new friend catch light and I think of what my brother told me about fire, what Leigh could have done to me, what Trey didn't deserve. But there was nothing left for it. Alice was shaking her head at every plan that came into my head and gradually I was agreeing and we were walking away and I was forming yet another great plan for my future.

That plan?

Revenge.

Revenge.

And then some more revenge.

With a little sprinkle of rebellion thrown in.

Author's Note:

Yay! That only took like two months! Three months? I don't know! Did you like how I decided to spare Trey and then changed my mind halfway through? Because I'm still a little upset about that. But oh well! Look at all the words I did!

Next up, Alice and Tarry have a chat! It will not end well.

Alice leads Tarry to another tracker! It will not end well.

Alice and Tarry go get her brothers and decide they should go get revenge already! It ends a little well.

Thanks for the comments. Thanks for reading this schtuff. I know I'm not popular. But that's just because I'm a total lame-o so it's ok.


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